


Family Secrets

by ghostfromtuonela



Series: Geraskierweek 2020 [3]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father Pining For Son, Gen, Geraskierweek2020, Jaskier | Dandelion Is 19, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Unrequited Incestuous Feelings, unhealthy family dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:22:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22760131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostfromtuonela/pseuds/ghostfromtuonela
Summary: When Geralt is invited to spend the night in Lord Pankratz household, he is once again reminded that sometimes the most disturbing kinds of monsters are those hiding in plain sight.Please read the tags.---Part of Geraskierweek 2020. Day 3: Protection
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Geraskierweek 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633456
Comments: 41
Kudos: 265





	1. Julian

**Author's Note:**

> READ THE TAGS! I cannot stress this enough regarding this story.

Geralt had no idea how he ended up staying the night in Lord Armand Marcel Pankratz’s household. Usually, his contractors were just as eager to send him on his way as they were to have whatever beast that was terrorizing the lands nearby killed. But the Viscount of Lettenhove had instead insisted that Geralt stay for dinner and tell him and his two sons about the various adventures he’s been through and the monsters he’s killed.

“It’s not every day you get to have the Butcher of Blaviken under your roof,” the Viscount said, “Let my blacksmith and armorer repair your gear, and you can be on your merry way by tomorrow.”

“Thanks, but I really should…”

“I won’t take “no” for an answer,” the Viscount said, “My servants have already prepared the guest room for you, and laid out some clothes for you to wear tonight. I’ve also ordered them to draw you a bath before dinner.”

With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Geralt with two servant girls who looked terrified that Geralt would disobey their lord’s command. 

“Fine, take me to the chambers then,” he said. If he was going to be the prisoner of some high-and-mighty viscount, he might as well take advantage of the situation and enjoy whatever luxuries the Viscount was willing to offer him. Besides, a night in a comfortable bed was a welcome change.

Once they reached the guest-chamber, the servants told Geralt to strip out off his armor and into the bathtub. 

“If the good sir could just let us wash his hair and shave your beard, we will be out of his way.”

“I’m capable of washing myself,” he said. Usually, he would not complain to have two young and beautiful women tending to him, but something in his guts told him that this was not an appropriate time.

“Please, just let us do it.” There was a hint of desperation in her voice, and Geralt wondered if the Viscount would blame them if Geralt wasn’t perfectly presentable tonight. So he allowed them to do what needed to be done. 

“You’re all set, sir. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you,” he said, “Just take my armor and swords to get repaired so that I can be out of here by tomorrow.”

“Will do, sir. We’ll notify you when dinner is approaching, so take time to relax.”

Once they were gone, Geralt could finally sink into the tub, close his eyes, and allow himself to relax. He could not remember when was the last time he had a proper warm bath. Usually, he would wash in some river that, more often than not, was filled with the blood of dead men and monsters. Not the best, but you had to make do with what you got. If he was lucky, the inn where he stayed would offer a bath, but it was almost always cold water. Warm water was a luxury that was rarely offered, and Geralt had every intention of staying there as long as he could.

Just as Geralt was about to doze off, he was brought back to reality by someone barging into his room. Believing it was the servant girls who had returned, he was surprised to see it was a young man whom he did not recognize at all.

_ “Dandelion! Dandelion, where are you?” _

“Please don’t tell him I’m here,” the young man said, “I’ll be out as soon as it’s safe, but I can’t let him find me.”

_ “Dandelion, please come back here!” _

“It’s safe now,” Geralt said once he was sure that the Viscount indeed was out of earshot. 

“Thank you,” the man said, “Thank you so much.”

“I didn’t do anything. Now piss off.”

“Come on, don’t be a jerk,” the man said, “If I leave now, he’ll find me, and I can’t deal with him right now.”

“You said you’d be out as soon as it’s safe.”

“I’m not so sure that it is safe yet.”

“Dammit, I’m trying to take a bath in peace here.”

“And I promise I won’t look,” the man said, “Name’s Julian, by the way.”

“I don’t care.”

“You’re that witcher, right? The one they call The Butcher of Blaviken?”

“Yeah, and I’m fully capable of showing you why.”

“I do not doubt that, but I don’t think you will. If you truly were so heartless, you would have sold me out.”

“I’m starting to regret not doing it already.”

“If you say so.”

The man didn’t say anything more, and Geralt didn’t feel the need to continue their conversation. Maybe if he realized what a terrible company Geralt was, he would leave and hide somewhere else. But instead, he went and sat down in a corner, looking out into nothing. Geralt tried not to look at him and give him any kind of attention, but truth to be told, he found it hard to resist. 

The man, Julian – Dandelion as the Viscount had called him – was someone Geralt could also see himself going crazy over. Messy brown hair, bright blue eyes, and lips that were just begging to be kissed. He was almost as tall as Geralt, but whereas Geralt was muscular, this man was slim. Geralt had no doubt he could wrap the man up entirely with just one arm. And those legs… those long legs wrapped around Geralt’s waist as he…

‘No, once you’re out of here, you go to the nearest brothel and buy yourself a woman,’ he thought to himself, ‘Anything with this man can only lead to trouble.’

“He wasn’t always like this,” the man said after a moment of silence, “There was a time when he acted… normal around me.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Ever since I turned eighteen last year, he’s been like this. The only time I can manage a few moments away from him is whenever I’m lucky to find a good hiding spot. And lately, I seem to have run out of them.”

“Why don’t you just leave?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried? It’s much more complicated than that, though.”

“Why not?” Geralt asked, genuinely curious as to why the man would want to stay in a place where he was miserable. Though it did sound as if he had lived there for some time.

“As I said, it’s complicated.”

Geralt decided not to push him. If he wanted Geralt to know, he would probably have told him the whole tragic tale by now. Now, if he’d just get out of there, Geralt could properly fantasize about this man beneath him, writhing and moaning with pleasure. 

“So… what’s your name? Your real name, that is?”

“Geralt of Rivia,” Geralt said.

“Geralt? I like that.”

“So is your name Julian or is it Dandelion?”

“My real name is Julian. Dandelion is what my mother used to call me. No one has called me that since she died until he started calling me by it again.”

“What is your relation to this man?”

“He’s… he’s my…”

Julian was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. The first thought was that it was the Viscount who had come to check if he was there. 

“Sir, the Viscount told me to tell you to get ready for dinner. Do you need help getting prepared?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” Geralt said.

“I should probably leave you to it then,” Julian said, “Thank you for letting me hide here.”

“If you want to, you can stay here while I’m gone.” Geralt had no idea why he was offering Julian to stay there, he had already offered, and it was too late to take it back now. Besides, it wasn’t like he cared if Julian did any damage. His equipment was gone, so it wasn’t like he had anything of personal value to steal either.

“Thank you, but I should go, or else the servants will get into trouble if he believes I’ve escaped. I hope to see you around.”

Once he was gone, Geralt got up from the bathtub and got dressed. The garments were so tight he thought he would choke in them unless they didn’t get ripped in half first. Humans were fragile creatures, especially noblemen. He had a feeling even a well built human soldier would have a hard time fitting into these clothes.

“I’m sorry, that was the largest size we could find,” the Viscount said when Geralt entered the dining area, “You witchers are built like bricks.”

“Hm.”

“My sons will be with us shortly. Both of them have been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to talk to you.”

“Hope I won’t disappoint them then.”

“I doubt it,” the Viscount said.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Geralt guessed it was the Viscount’s sons who appeared at the doorway. The one whom Geralt assumed was the oldest was a younger version of his father. Short and sturdy with blonde hair and grey eyes. When Geralt looked at the younger son, it was as if something grabbed all of his insides and pulled them into a tight twist. He felt nauseated, and it was a miracle he didn’t throw up.

Julian was the Viscount’s son.


	2. Come with me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is mentions of rape/non-con in this story, but nothing happens - neither in the past nor present.
> 
> Also, Geralt's tale of what happened in Blaviken is taken from the books.

Julian should have known that his father would catch up with him eventually.

The Witcher had been courteous enough to allow him to stay there, even though Julian had to press him a little. Had he known from the beginning that his father’s guest was residing there, he would not have hidden there. Nevertheless, he was thankful for it, as it had allowed him to relax for just a moment. Even when he walked back to his room, he had been calm, believing his father was long gone by then.

He should have guessed that the bastard would be waiting for him there.

“Julian,” his father said and brought him into a tight hug when he entered his room, “Dandelion, where have you been?”

“Outside,” he said.

“I’ve been looking for you. Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”

“I’m sorry.”

His father did not press him on it any further, though Julian knew that the man knew he had been hiding from him.

“You know how much I love you.”

“Yes, father.”

“Tell me you love me too.”

Julian swallowed, knowing that refusing his father would only make it worse.

“I love you too.

He pressed his forehead against Julian’s, their faces so close together now that Julian feared his father would kiss him. It always left him feeling dirty and disgusted.

“One day, you will say it and mean it,” he said and gave Julian a light kiss on his forehead before heading towards the door, “Get ready for tonight, we have a special guest tonight.”

‘Oh fuck.’

Julian mentally kicked himself for not realizing sooner that hiding in Geralt’s room might not have been his brightest idea, or that he should at least have made up some other story. Part of him wanted to run back to Geralt’s room and explain himself, even though it would probably make everything just worse. Besides, he did not have much time to prepare, and the last thing he needed was to give his father any more reason to focus any more of his attention on him. 

He only hoped that Geralt would be courteous enough and not mention anything to his father. The fewer that knew, the better.

His brother, Alec, was waiting for him outside in the hallway when he finally stepped out.

“Took you long enough,” Alec said, “Come on, I don’t want Father to have my head just because of you.” 

Julian did not say anything as they made their way to the dining area, and neither did Alec. The Viscount was already there with Geralt when they arrived. 

“Witcher, these are my sons, Alec and Julian.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Witcher,” Alec said.

“Same,” Geralt said, though neither he nor Alec bothered to shake the other’s hand. Neither did Geralt bother to introduce himself to Julian. Julian did not know whether he should be grateful for it or fearful that his father would suspect something.

“Julian, are you not even going to introduce yourself to our guest?” his father said and laid an arm around him.

“Apologies,” he said and reached his hand out to Geralt, which the Witcher graciously took, “Julian Alfred Pankratz.”

“Geralt of Rivia.”

Throughout the entire evening, Julian wished he could sink through the floor and disappear. His father insisted that he sat next to him at the table and kept touching his leg with his own. 

‘At least he’s not holding my hand.’

“Tell me, Witcher, how does one become known as the Butcher of Blaviken?” Alec asked.

“Lots of people died by my hands there. I thought everyone in the Northern Kingdoms knew it already.”

“Of course we have, but to hear it from the man himself is something else. Wouldn’t you agree with that, Witcher?”

“I don’t believe there’s much I can tell you that hasn’t been said,” Geralt said, “I killed a lot of people, and that’s the end of the story.”

“Did they deserve it?” the Viscount asked.

“Depends on how you look at it.”

Both his father and brother continued to ask the Witcher questions that Julian found to be borderline inappropriate. The endless amount of alcohol both men kept consuming didn’t help matters either. Geralt seemed to have an infinite amount of patience, answering each question to the best of his abilities. However, Julian suspected that the only reason he didn’t storm out was because the Viscount had taken both his armor and swords away from him, and Geralt had no idea where it was. 

“You’re awfully quiet, Julian,” his father said after what felt like hours of torment.

“I’m just not feeling well, Father,” he said.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should have said so sooner,” his father said, “Go to your room, and I’ll come by later and see how you’re doing.”

The moment Julian was outside the dining room, he ran out to the special place in the garden where he knew he could be alone. He knew his father would give him trouble if he was not in his room when he came to check up on him, but he did not care. The garden was the one place where he felt an ounce of peace since everything started. Here he could just close his eyes and breathe, dreaming of places far away from Lettenhove. He tried to picture the vineyards of Toussaint he had only seen in books, and what it would be like actually visit them. Or the tournaments of Beauclair, which he had only read about in his books. He wanted to visit Novigrad and to see the city in all its glory. He wanted to sail among the islands of Skellige. Sirens be damned.

At first, he thought the reason why his father never allowed him to travel the world, unlike Alec, was because of Julian’s strong resemblance to his mother. Alec was almost a replica of the Viscount, whereas Julian took after the late Viscountess. Julian had always thought it was natural that the man was more overprotective of him than his brother.

He wondered how long the man had harbored these feelings for him. At what point did he stop looking at Julian as his son and more like a love interest? Had he ever seen Julian as a son? Alec often complained that their father always let Julian get away with far more shit than Alec. 

Could it be that the man had simply never seen Julian as a son? The very thought made him almost throw up. 

FLASHBACK

_Julian was exhausted. His father had decided to throw him a huge party for his eighteenth-birthday, and everyone in the city of Lettenhove was welcomed. Even his brother had attended, which was a rarity. He had, of course, mostly spent time trying to get one of the maids into his bed. Not that Julian would have done the same had the roles been reversed, but at least he was not the one engaged._

_‘Oh shut up, you’re no one to judge,’ he thought, ‘How many wives and girlfriends have you slept with already?_

_“It’s not my fault that ladies seem to be unable to resist my charm,” he said, “How should I know they’re spoken for if they won’t tell me?”_

_“Who are you speaking to?”_

_Julian was taken aback by the sudden voice behind him. His father was standing in his doorway, still wearing the same clothing._

_“Father,” he said and walked over to the man, “You outdid yourself today.”_

_“It was my pleasure,” his father said and put both his hands on Julian’s shoulders, “You deserve the best.”_

_“Thank you, father,” Julian said and leaned into his father’s embrace._

_“You know, you looked so much like your mother today,” his father said, “And you sing just as lovely as she did.”_

_“I wish she was still here.”_

_“As do I, son, as do I.”_

_Julian only had small personal memories of his mother. He remembered a woman with long dark hair and a beautiful voice that always made him feel calm and comfortable whenever she would sing to him. She would often put a flower crown of dandelions in his head, calling him “Dandelion”. People often told him he looked like her, and considering that there were no paintings of her hanging around, he had to take their word for it._

_“Do you remember what she used to call you?” his father asked._

_“She used to call me ‘Dandelion’,” Julian said._

_“ “My sweet Dandelion”, to be more precise,” his father said._

_Nothing in the world could prepare Julian for what happened next. His father cupped his face and pressed his lips against Julian’s. The man tasted of cigar and alcohol, making Julian’s stomach turn. If he hadn’t been in such a shock, perhaps he would have had the courage to push his father away._

_It seemed like forever until the kiss finally ended._

_“Good night, my sweet Dandelion,” he said and left Julian all to himself._

_Julian barely slept anything that night. He could not believe his father had kissed him. What on earth had possessed the man to do something like that?_

_“He was drunk,” Julian tried to rationalize, “He was drunk, and talking about Mother made him emotional. He will probably not even remember what happened when he wakes up.”_

END FLASHBACK

Julian laughed bitterly at the memory. His father remembered every detail and was gracious enough to give Julian a vivid description of it from his perspective. 

At least he still got to keep his own bed-chamber. Melitele knows how long that privilege will remain. He had stopped taking bed partners since then, afraid of what sort of reaction it would bring out of his father.

“Your father was looking for you.”

Julian turned around to see Geralt standing behind him.

“I bet he was. He probably wondered why I am not waiting for him in my bedroom. Well, you found me Witcher. Will you go and tell him where I am?”

“No,” Geralt said, “Seems to me you would do anything to avoid that man. Though one might think you’d pick a better spot than this. It's quite in the open.”

“Even if it’s only for a few minutes, it’s better than nothing.”

Geralt did not say anything, and Julian allowed himself to take a proper look at the Witcher. He could not deny that the man was handsome. Julian could not help but wonder what it would feel like to run his fingers through that long hair, to feel those strong arms around him, and to hear that gruff voice telling him every dirty thing he was going to do with him, as he laid beneath that muscular body. Julian was no stranger to taking men into his bed, and Geralt was the ultimate definition of masculinity. Perhaps if the circumstances were different, he would not have hesitated to try to get between Geralt and the bedsheets. Or maybe pressing Geralt down onto his back and straddle him. There was something incredibly arousing at the idea of having this powerful man entirely at his mercy.

“It’s quite peaceful here,” Geralt said, “I can understand why you like coming here.”

“It does create such an illusion, doesn’t it?”

“Have you ever tried escaping?”

“Two times and both ended in disaster. The first time I tried to run away he caught me while I was still in Lettenhove. I have no idea what happened to the two who tried to help me during my first attempt.”

“And the second?”

“Father had them hanged right in front of the entire town.”

Geralt was silent for a few minutes.

“Then what if I took you with me?”

Whatever Julian had expected him to say, it certainly was not this.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that you can always come with me when I leave tomorrow.”

“Did you not hear what I just told you? Two people – if not four – are dead because they tried to help me flee.”

“I heard you, but I’m a Witcher, and I can handle whatever forces your father decides to throw at me. I can protect you.”

Julian did not know what to say. He wanted so desperately to accept Geralt’s proposal, but his memory of the two servants hanging from the gallows was still very vivid. No doubt, Geralt was far more capable of defending himself than anyone else, but even a witcher must have some limit.

“Father will never forgive you,” Julian said, “You’ll be hunted forever.”

“I doubt anything will change,” Geralt said, “There will always be people in service of a Witcher. Your father himself hired the infamous Butcher of Blaviken.”

“What happened in Blaviken?” Julian could not help but ask, “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, but if you don’t mind, I don’t believe it’s as simple as the stories say it is.”

“Have you heard about the curse of the black sun?”

“Yes, a dumb prophecy made up by men as an excuse to destroy innocent women’s lives,” Julian said, “What of it?”

“In Blaviken I met a wizard who was an ardent believer in the prophecy,” Geralt said, “One of the women, Renfri, had escaped him, and wanted to get revenge on him. She was planning on taking every person in Blaviken hostage and kill them off one by one unless Stregebor surrendered to her. I went to the marketplace, where I saw her gang, and killed them before they could act upon their plan. It turns out Renfri had no plans on killing anyone – only Stregebor. She had gone to his tower to tell him of her plan, and he had practically laughed her in the face, telling her that he did not care how many people she killed.”

Julian didn’t say a word as Geralt told him the tale. 

“So yes, I did kill a lot of people who had done nothing wrong,” Geralt said, not bothering to hide his bitterness.

“You didn’t know that,” Julian said, “You had no idea that Renfri had gone to speak to Stregebor.”

“I could have waited.”

“And what if they had started killing people?” Julian said, “You didn’t know that. You only knew what Renfri had told you herself.”

“Of course, with Renfri dead, no one but me and Stregebor were alive who knew the entire story. Stregebor won’t be telling anyone, and no one will believe me.”

“I believe you.”

“Then you would be the first person to do so,” Geralt said and smiled at him, “But thank you.”

They sat like that in silence for a while. Julian was half-tempted to move closer to Geralt, wondering if he would move away from him or remain where he was. 

“If I came with you tomorrow, where would we even go?”

“Novigrad seems like a good place,” Geralt said, “Plenty of things to see, and ships are heading to Skellige should you want to go there.”

Julian knew he should say “no” to Geralt’s idea. It was foolish and hasty, not to mention dangerous. He had no education, no contacts outside of Lettenhove, and no skills whatsoever. The only thing he knew was how to play the lute and sing, but he was hardly good enough to be able to provide for himself. Then again, he would forever be plagued with thoughts of what his life would be like if he didn’t take Geralt up on his offer. He was aware that he would not be able to enjoy the same luxuries he enjoyed now, but at least he wouldn’t be subjected to his father’s watchful eyes. 

“Okay,” he finally said, “I will go with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait. Quarantine has been a bitch to my depression, and it does not help that I have tons of homework on top of things.
> 
> Again, Thank you for reading. English is not my first language, so I apologize for any grammatical errors.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) 
> 
> There will probably be one or two more chapters.


End file.
